Editing Numbers station (section)

{{Short description|Shortwave radio stations broadcasting only numbers}}
{{For|the 2013 film|The Numbers Station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Listen |filename=Poacher.ogg |title="Lincolnshire Poacher" |description=Recording of the E03 "[[Lincolnshire Poacher (numbers station)|Lincolnshire Poacher]]" interval signal, followed by a coded transmission of five numbers: 0–2–5–8–8. |format=[[Ogg]] |alt=Recording of the Lincolnshire Poacher interval signal and five-number voice transmission}}
[[File:Estacion de números HM01.ogg|thumb|alt=Audio recording of a voice transmission from a Cuban numbers station|Cuban numbers station HM01]]
[[File:Gong numbers station.ogg|thumb|alt=Audio recording of the Gong numbers station used by East German military|A recording of ''The Gong'' numbers station, operated by the [[National People's Army]] of the German Democratic Republic in 1988]]

A '''numbers station''' is a [[shortwave]] [[radio station]] characterized by broadcasts of formatted numbers, which are believed to be addressed to [[intelligence officer]]s operating in foreign countries.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24910397 |title=The spooky world of the 'numbers stations' |last=Sorrel-Dejerine |first=Olivia |date=16 April 2014 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Most identified stations use [[speech synthesis]] to vocalize numbers, although digital modes such as [[phase-shift keying]] and [[frequency-shift keying]], as well as [[Morse code]] transmissions, are not uncommon. Most stations have set time schedules or schedule patterns; however, some appear to have no discernible pattern and broadcast at random times. Stations may have set frequencies in the [[high frequency|high-frequency]] band.<ref name="Number stations basic">{{cite web |url=http://priyom.org/number-stations |title=Number stations |website=Priyom}}</ref>

Numbers stations have been reported since at least the start of [[World War I]] and continue in use today. Amongst amateur radio enthusiasts, there is an interest in monitoring and classifying numbers stations, with many being given nicknames to represent their quirks or origins.